Halloween II (2009)
| running time = 105 min. | country = USA | language = English | budget = $15 million Box Office Mojo | gross revenue = | preceded by = Halloween (2007) | followed by = Halloween (2018) }} Halloween II is a 2009 horror film directed by Rob Zombie. It is the sequel to Zombie's 2007 Halloween, which in itself, is a remake of the original 1978 film directed by John Carpenter. Halloween II is a remake of the 1981 sequel Halloween II directed by Rick Rosenthal. With this film, Zombie reunites several cast members from the first movie including Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie Strode, Malcolm McDowell as Doctor Sam Loomis and Tyler Mane as the relentless Michael Myers. Synopsis The White Horse and the White horse.]] Seventeen years ago, Deborah Myers visits her troubled son Michael at the Smith's Grove Sanitarium. It is Christmastime and Deborah gives her son a white toy horse. Michael seems more responsive than usual and she even manages to get a smile out of him. Fifteen years later, Laurie Strode is walking down the streets of Haddonfield, Illinois. She is covered head to toe in blood and is carrying a .357 magnum at her side. She has only narrowly survived a violent encounter with her older, psychotic brother Michael Myers and is in a hysterical state. She survived by shooting Michael in the face at point-blank range. Sheriff Leigh Brackett comes upon her and coaxes the gun out of Laurie's hand. She is then taken to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital. At the scene of Laurie and Michael's initial encounter with one another, police officers and coroners secure the area and the seemingly dead Michael Myers is loaded into an ambulance bound for the coroner's office. Two more of Michael's would-be victims, Annie Brackett and Doctor Sam Loomis are loaded into another ambulance. Coroner Alan Hooks and his partner Gary Scott drive off with Michael's body. As they drive, Scott entertains Hooks by making lewd comments about what it would be like to have sex with a corpse. Hooks tries to change the subject, but the imagery distracts him enough that he fails to see a cow crossing the road. The ambulance slams into the animal then crashes into a tree. Hooks is killed instantly and Gary Scott is in a terrible state. Myers awakens and exits the back of the vehicle. Picking up a shard of broken glass, he approaches the injured Scott and cuts his head off with the glass. He then begins walking down the highway. In his mind's eye, he sees the image of his late mother standing next to a large, white horse. Sometime later, Laurie awakens in the hospital. Her leg is in a fracture boot and she has numerous cuts and lacerations across her body. She struggles to get out of bed and goes into an adjacent room where her friend Annie Brackett is recovering. Nurse Octavia Daniels enters the room and tells Laurie that she shouldn't be out of bed. Laurie wants to stay with Annie, but Nurse Daniels won't let and begins walking her back to her own room. She gets called away however and Laurie is left by herself. Laurie begins complaining about a headache and calls for Nurse Daniels. When the woman returns however, she has a wicked slice across the front of her face and blood begins pouring out of her. Michael Myers appears behind her and Laurie begins screaming. She runs out of the room while Michael murders the nurse, stabbing her repeatedly in the back. Laurie continues shambling throughout the hospital corridors. She goes down into the basement where she discovers a giant bin filled with dead bodies. Michael stalks after her, but Laurie manages to make it outside. Running through the rain, she comes to the pillbox shed of a security guard named Buddy. She hides inside the shed until Buddy finds her. Laurie is screaming incoherently and Buddy tries to calm her down. He gives her some coffee and tells her that he will go and get his car. When he returns however, Michael Myers is right behind him and stabs the security guard to death. Laurie screams and begins running. Michael is right behind her. Suddenly, she wakes up. Two Years Later Laurie is in her bed. It is October 29th, two years after the initial incident. Laurie is living with Sheriff Leigh Brackett and his daughter Annie, who likewise survived the wrath of Michael Myers. Both women still bear the scars of his rampage. Laurie takes some prescription pills and goes downstairs to have breakfast with Annie and Sheriff Brackett. She mentions how she had another nightmare, but doesn't want to talk about it. After breakfast, Laurie goes to see her psychiatrist, Doctor Barbara Collier. She cannot get Michael out of her head. Collier reminds her that even though Michael is dead, he still lives on in Laurie's mind. Laurie mentions how her friendship with Annie is deteriorating. She says that her scars are a constant reminder that everything is "her fault". Laurie sees a Rorschach painting in Collier's office. She notes the shapes of two white horses in the center of the print. Meanwhile, Doctor Sam Loomis, having fully recovered from his previous injuries, has now reshaped his personality and his image. He is getting ready to release his second book about Michael Myers, The Devil Walks Among Us. This book details the events of 2007 where Myers killed several people, nearly murdering Loomis himself. Sam and his publicist Nancy McDonald attend a press conference and Loomis gripes about the blown up publicity still that McDonald is using to promote the book. He sends her off to get him some tea before attending the conference. ]] Elsewhere, Laurie goes to work at Uncle Meat's Java Hole, a coffee-house/vintage record store owned by an aging hippie named "Uncle Meat". Laurie works there with her new friends Mya Rockwell and Harley David. Harley talks about going out to the Phantom Jam for Halloween night. At the press conference, several reporters posit some pointedly uncomfortable questions to Sam. They ask him if he feels any personal responsibility for the deaths caused by his failure to help Michael Myers. One reporter makes the suggestion that Myers may even be alive. Loomis loses his cool and barks, "Michael Myers is fucking dead!" That evening, Michael Myers, having been living on his own for the past two years, comes to an old shack off Eagle Road. Entering the dark building, he sees images of his mother wearing a white dress and also sees himself as a young child. The mental impression of Deborah Myers tells Michael that Halloween is coming and that he must be ready. Michael walks out of the barn and comes upon a truck carrying three locals named Floyd, Jazlean and Sherman. Apparently, they are a family who owns the land and the barn that Michael has been staying at. Getting out of the truck, Floyd angrily warns Michael about trespassing on his land. Floyd and Sherman begin beating on him with a tire iron and a baseball bat. Jazlean is horrified by this display of violence and pleads with them to stop. Michael endures the beating until he is given a chance to put his mask on. Upon doing so, he fights back, stabbing Sherman with his hunting knife. Floyd strikes him again with the tire iron, but Michael stabs him in the stomach, then impales him on a set of antlers fastened to the hood of the truck. He then reaches inside and grabs Jazlean. He pulls her out of the vehicle onto the ground and stabs her repeatedly until she is dead. He then kills the family dog, Ivan, and eats him. At the Brackett house, Sheriff Brackett buys pizza for Annie and Laurie. He entertains them with tales of old Lee Marvin westerns, but neither of them seem to know who Lee Marvin even was. Laurie suddenly grows ill and runs upstairs to throw up. She appears to be experiencing a subconscious reaction to the violence that her brother Michael is visiting upon the dog. It seems as if the two now share some mysterious mental link with one another. The two go to sleep and share the same dream with one another. In the dream, Deborah Myers and young Michael are standing before a dining room table attended by guests who appear to be personifications of the spirit of Halloween. Little Michael remarks "I found Boo" and they see the adult Laurie Strode lying on the table. Michael queries, "Are we going to be a family again?" and Deborah replies, "Not yet, Michael. Not yet. Laurie awakens with a start. October 30th - Loomis' publicist.]] Doctor Sam Loomis and Nancy McDonald hold another meeting with the press. This time however, they are conducting the interview outside the old Myers residence. Nancy feels that this venue is completely tasteless, but Loomis protests, saying that he wants to add "sizzle" to the steak. "This is business, woman!" he screams. Loomis conducts his interview with reporter Wendy Snow. Meanwhile, Laurie has a daydream. In the dream, she sees herself re-enacting the night all those years ago when Michael murdered his stepfather Ronnie White. She is dressed in the same clown Halloween costume that Michael wore, but this time, Annie Brackett takes the place of Ronnie White. This is the first time that Laurie has experienced such a nightmare while she was still awake. To get her mind off of it, she goes down to the town park. She sees a man dressed up as the Frankenstein Monster entertaining a group of children. His motives are less than altruistic however, as he is actually trying to advertise the exotic dance club that he runs. Laurie goes to a petting zoo at the park and befriends a woman with a baby pig. Laurie suffers another panic attack - one more severe than any of the others. Distraught, she races to Doctor Collier's office to tell her about the experience. Collier tries to keep Laurie calm, but she is in an hysterical state. She wants a new prescription for her meds, but Collier won't give them to her. Laurie screams at the woman and storms out of the office. Her condition is no more improved when she returns home. She begins drinking heavily and gets itno a fight with Annie. Annie is at her wits' end and can no longer tolerate Laurie's aggressive attitude. ]] At the Rabbit in Red Lounge, proprietor Lou Martini sits back watching his televised interview with Holly West from earlier that day. The news coverage shows Lou dressed up as the Frankenstein Monster (the same man that Laurie came across). One of his dancers, Misty Dawn, hangs over Lou's arm, proud of employer's recognition. Like Loomis, "Big Lou" has also profited off the Myers' story as Michael's late mother Deborah Myers used to work as one of his dancers. A bouncer named Howard Boggs is not as nearly as impressed with Lou as Misty is. They tell Howard to go take out the trash. Howard begrudgingly does so, but after emptying the refuse, he runs into Michael Myers. Howard yells at him, calling him a hippie and threatening to do him harm. Michael picks Howard up and slams him down hard onto the ground. He then stomps his boot into Boggs' head, crushing it. Michael then goes inside the Rabbit in Red. He attacks Lou Martini, breaking his arm and smashing him against the walls until he is dead. Misty tries to run away, but screams when she sees Howard's mutilated remains hanging from a string of lights. Michael grabs Misty and bashes her face into a mirror until she is dead. Halloween helps Michael to understand.]] It is the middle of the day on October 31st. Loomis' new book The Devil Walks Among Us is officially released. Being so intricately tied to the subject matter, Sheriff Brackett acquires a copy and begins reading it. He grows frantic and calls his house looking for Laurie. Annie doesn't know where Laurie is, but Lee tells her that he needs to speak with her as soon as possible. Loomis meanwhile is attending a book signing at a neighborhood store. People line up around the corner for the opportunity to meet Michael Myers' unofficial biographer. From a nearby hilltop, Michael Myers stands and watches the people filing into the store. The image of his mother helps Michael to understand how Loomis is profiting off their family's misfortune. Inside the store, Loomis greets the public and signs copies of his new book. One patron, an excited young man named Chett Johns praises Loomis' work, citing how Michael Myers is "the real deal" and other notorious killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer are phonies. Another man approaches Loomis' desk with a book. This is Kyle Van Der Klok, father of Myers' victim Lynda Van Der Klok. Kyle is not a fan of Loomis' work and blames him for allowing his "monster" to kill his daughter. Loomis tries to appear sympathetic, but Kyle flies into a rage. He produces a handgun and points it at Loomis, but the store security guards manage to disarm him before he can cause any further harm. Laurie Strode meanwhile, reads Loomis' book and comes upon a traumatic revelation. She is the sister of Michael Myers and her real name is Angel. Laurie freaks out, knowing that Sheriff Brackett must have been privy to this information all along. She telephones the house and has Annie deliver the message, "Angel says fuck you". As night falls, Sheriff Brackett decides to send a deputy over to his house to keep an eye on Annie. He has done this every year since the last attack and charges Deputy Andy Neale with the task. Neale doesn't want to do this, citing that last time he was assigned to watch over Annie, she kicked him in the groin. Regardless, he is not about to say "no" to his boss and goes to the house. Annie is just as disgruntled to have a cop babysitting her and antagonizes Neale, making him conduct his patrol outside. Laurie goes over to Mya's place and tells Harley and she what she learned. She just wants to forget about everything and get really drunk. The three girls decide to go the Phantom Jam Halloween event. Laurie dresses up as Magenta , while Mya dresses up as Columbia and Harley dresses up as Doctor Frank-N-Furter, all of which are characters from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. That same evening, Doctor Loomis appears on a variety show known as The Newman Hour hosted by David Newman. Loomis follows singer/comedian "Weird" Al Yankovic. He is already distressed, but has grown to love the spotlight. Newman however, surprises Loomis by asking him on national television how he feels about profiteering off the bloodshed of the Myers' murders. Loomis leaves the set completely humiliated. At the Phantom Jam, the girls get drunk and listen to the sounds of tasteless comedian Uncle Seymour Coffins and the alternative music of Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures. Harley meets a partier dressed as a werewolf and invites "Wolfie" outside. He brings her to his van with the intent of having sex. Harley is much more assertive than Wolfie and she begins to make him nervous. He tells her that he has to urinate first and goes outside. While relieving himself, Wolfie is attacked by Michael Myers who stabs him in the back, pinning him to the tree. He then breaks through the windows of the van and strangles Harley until she lie unconcious. Back at the party, the alcohol begins to have an effect on Laurie and she begins spinning about. She begins seeing images of Deborah Myers and little Michael. Mya sees that she is distressed and the two decide to leave. Michael goes to the Brackett house and finds Andy Neale patrolling outside. He throttles the deputy to death and props him up inside of his squad car. He then breaks into the house and goes upstairs where he finds Annie in the bathroom. Annie turns and sees him and tries to run away, but Michael quickly catches up to her and violently throws her to the floor where he proceeds to stab her. Laurie and Mya eventually make it back to the house, unaware that anything has taken place. After enjoying some tea and cookies they go upstairs where they Annie's bleeding body on the bathroom floor. Laurie screams for Mya to call 911 while she cradles her dying friend. Mya races downstairs and telephones the police. When she comes back inside, Michael attacks her from behind, throwing her onto the dining room table and stabbing her with his hunting knife. Laurie comes downstairs and finds her at which point, Michael begins pursuing Laurie. At the police station, Deputy Gwynne delivers Sheriff Brackett the news of a 911 call coming from his house. He rushes over to see what is the matter and collapses to the floor when he learns that his daughter has been killed. There are no signs of Michael or Laurie at the scene. Final Fate ]] ]] Laurie continues running into the night. She stumbles and falls in the middle of a dark highway. Fortunately, a passing motorist named Becks stops and offers Laurie assistance. Seeing that she is clearly in bad shape, he offers to take her to the hospital. He places Laurie inside his car, but Michael Myers appears and smashes the man through the glass window of the vehicle, killing him. He then flips the car over sending it tumbling down a nearby ravine. Laurie is knocked unconscious and the car bursts into flames. Michael walks down the incline to claim his prize. Back at the Brackett house, Deputy Webb tells Sheriff Brackett that an anonymous witness to the accident called them and told them that a man matching Michael Myers' description was seen off Eagle Road. Although most believe that Myers is dead, Brackett is not taking any chances. He calls in a helicopter unit and sends every squad vehicle at his disposal to the site. At his hotel, Sam Loomis catches the breaking news story reporting that police have surrounded a cabin containing the allegedly deceased Michael Myers. Feeling that this might be his last chance at vindication, Loomis races out of the hotel. At the cabin, Laurie comes to and sees Michael standing over her as well as the imagery of Deborah Myers and young Michael Myers. Michael and she share the same imagery and Deborah announces that they are now ready to be a family again. Deborah instructs Laurie to repeat the words "I love you, Mommy" to her over and over again. Outside, Sheriff Brackett and his men surround the cabin. Helicopter spotlights shine down and an officer's voice shouts through a bullhorn, demanding the occupants of the cabin to come outside. Doctor Loomis arrives and approaches Sheriff Brackett. Like many, Brackett blames Loomis for the Myers fiasco and punches him in the jaw. He withdraws his service revolver and points it at Sam's face, hissing about how much he wants to shoot him. The other officers restrain Brackett and he orders his men to march Loomis away from the scene. Sam breaks the police barricade however shouting, "I owe you this, Sheriff!" He runs inside the cabin where Michael has the captive Laurie. Laurie believes that young Michael is holding her down in her seat, but of course, there is nobody else in the cabin but Laurie and Michael. The impression of Deborah gives a nod of approval to Michael and he tackles Loomis, sending both of them crashing through a wall outside. As the two grapple, Michael removes his mask and shouts "Die!" before stabbing Loomis in the stomach with his knife. Once Loomis falls, the police open fire and Michael goes down in a spray of bullets. The bloodied Laurie Strode, in shock, steps out of the cabin. She picks up Michael's knife and approaches Loomis, appearing as if she is going to stab him. Police open fire a second time and Laurie takes several shots to the chest. Falling beside her brother, Laurie's final thoughts are of a brightly lit white room and the image of Deborah Myers walking towards her with a large, white horse. Laurie Strode then dies. Cast Notes & Trivia * Alternately known as H2 and Rob Zombie's Halloween II. * Rated R for strong brutal bloody violence throughout, terror, disturbing graphic images, language, and some crude sexual content and nudity. * Both the theatrical and the director's cut versions of the film were released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 12th, 2010. * The tagline for this film is, "They survived the terror... but they can't escape their destiny". * This film establishes that the town of Haddonfied was founded in 1883. * Actor Dayton Callie, who plays Coroner Hooks, starred in the HBO television series Deadwood along with Halloween co-star Brad Dourif. * Actress Caroline Williams, who plays Doctor Maple, is best known for playing the role of Vantia "Stretch" Brock in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. In the previous Halloween, Williams' foil from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Bill Moseley, made a cameo appearance as a hospital guard. * Caroline Williams accidentally refers to Nurse Daniels by the actresses real name, Octavia. * The closing credits features still shots of Michael's victim from the previous Halloween. * In the hospital dream sequence, Scout Taylor-Compton's bra is visible beneath her hospital gown. It would have been removed during her surgery. * This film establishes that the town of Haddonfied was founded in 1883. * Brea Grant, who plays the role of Mya Rockwell, was born fourteen days before the theatrical release of the original Halloween II. * Actor Tyler Mane is married to Renae Geerlings, who plays Deputy Gwynne in this film. Renae is mostly known for being the former editor-in-chief of Top Cow Productions, a comic book publisher owned by Image Comics. Laurie's Psychosis There are several sign posts positioned throughout the film suggesting that dementia runs through the Myers family line. The first indicator takes place early in the film when Laurie is seen wearing an Ace Frehley t-shirt. Ace Frehley is the former lead guitarist for the 70s rock band KISS. In the first Halloween, young Michael Myers is first seen wearing a KISS t-shirt from their "Destroyer" tour. The foreshadowing of Laurie's devolving mental state is also shown when she first begins to share a psychic bond with Michael. This is first demonstrated by her sudden illness which coincides with Michael eating a freshly-killed dog. Laurie's relationship with Barbara Collier is similar to that of Loomis and young Michael from the first film. One of the most telling signs of Laurie's mental state is her waking dream in which she imagines herself killing Annie Brackett. This scene is filmed exactly as the scene from Halloween in which Michael kills his stepfather Ronnie White. Later in the film, Laurie begins seeing images of Deborah and young Michael Myers, images that up until then had only been experienced by Michael himself. The final shot of the film shows Laurie sitting inside what appears to be a mental institution. Soundtrack The Halloween II Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on CD on August 25th, 2009, six days before the US theatrical release of the film. One of the criticisms levied against both the film and the soundtrack is the noticeable absence of the classic John Carpenter score. The trademark piece is played on briefly in the beginning of the director's cut of the film and is the second track played during the closing credits. The Moody Blues song "Nights in White Satin" is played during the latter half of Laurie's dream sequence. It is accompanied by a video recording of the band performing the song as seen on a television set. The song is played a second time in "real time" shortly after the dream sequence. Two songs that are featured on the soundtrack are played live during the Phantom Jam party in the film. Both songs are by the fictional band Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures and are titled "Transylvania Terror Train" and "Honky Tonk Halloween". "I against I" by the Bad Brains is played during the Phantom Rave sequence when Harley David goes out to Wolfie's van to have sex. Diamondhead's "Am I Evil" is played during the scene where Laurie is driving her car shortly after learning about her true relationship to Michael Myers. This song appears in the director's cut of the film, but is not included on the soundtrack. Nan Vernon's version of the Nazareth song "Love Hurts" is revisted at the close of the film. This song was played during Deborah Myers' striptease routine in the previous Halloween. The song is played during Laurie's surreal final thoughts and continues through to the closing credits. Following "Love Hurts" is Tyler Bates' original piece "Nurse Killa" followed by a refrain of the classic Carpenter score. Body Count Recommendations See also External Links * * * Halloween II at Wikipedia * * * * Halloween II at the Halloween Wiki * Halloween II at the Horror Film Wiki References Category:2009/Films Category:August, 2009/Films Category:Remakes Category:Sequels Category:2nd installments Category:Dimension Films Category:Spectacle Entertainment Group Category:Trancas International Films Category:Films with plot summaries